Blinkist summary:
The first question is “What is our mission?” It’s the number one question because it identifies the objectives and goals that you and your organization are aiming to fulfill. The answer to the question is no less than the primary reason for your organization’s existence, and therefore it will be the guiding force and the common bond that holds your organization together.
Given how important your mission statement is, you should take care to make sure it accurately reflects the commitment, ability and hope of the organization. However, the statement should still be both accurate and concise enough to fit on a t-shirt.
Therefore, the second question for a successful organization is “Who is our customer?”
In answering this question, you should be careful to distinguish between your primary customers and supporting customers; so that you’re focusing on the primary while making sure the supporting aren’t neglected.
A primary customer is one whose life is directly changed by your product or service.
A supporting customer is someone who you want to satisfy, but isn’t the focus of your mission.
The next question is one that gets ignored more than all others, yet it’s essential for every organization: “What does our customer value?”
By asking this question, you can avoid the pitfall of assuming what your customer wants, and instead get valuable feedback directly. When you have a deep understanding of your primary customer’s values, you’ll be in a position to maximize your ability to satisfy your customers’ needs.
Recognizing the kind of results that your organization should be judged on is the key to success.
The role of good leadership is to know what needs to be fixed to achieve the organization’s mission. This means keeping a keen eye on performance and how it measures up against criteria. For this to happen, you need to ask the fourth question: “What are our results?”
In focusing your attention on results, it’s important to recognize that long-term success often comes from short-term accomplishments. When thinking of the results you hope to achieve, make sure to think both long and short-term.
Appraising your performance will also help you with the last question.
A good plan of action keeps you focused on your objectives and sets out a way to achieve them.
The final question every organization needs to ask is “What is our plan?”
Any good plan should take into account all the important things, including your mission, vision, goals, objectives, action steps, budget and results. Planning should also include the uncertainty of the current business climate, define the specific place you want to take your organization and how you intend to get there.
An effective plan should lay out your overarching goals in a way that translates into concrete steps – in turn leading to specific objectives.
So, what kind of goals should you set for yourself? A smart set of goals should correspond to your desired future, and describe the long-range direction you need to take to get there. However, an effective plan shouldn’t have more than five goals; otherwise your attention and efforts will be spread too thin.
The key message in these blinks:
To truly bring success to your organization, you need to ask yourself the following five questions:
• What is our mission?
• Who is our customer?
• What does the customer value?
• What are our results?
• What is our plan?
Actionable advice:
Look to other successful organizations.
Next time you hear about a successful organization, think about what makes them successful. What is their mission? Do they have a deep understanding of what their customers value? Work through the five questions to get a better understanding where their success comes from.